Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Gaza

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) representations they are making, and (2) action theywill take following the tightening of the blockade on Gaza by Israel despite the pre-existing humanitarian crisis within the Strip.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised concerns regarding the additional restrictions imposed on Gaza with the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) on 18 July. The further restrictions that Israel has placed on Gaza will have a detrimental effect on the ordinary citizens of Gaza. A further deterioration to the already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza is in no-one’s interests. Israel should therefore reverse this decision. We also recognise that Hamas' actions are unacceptable, and the damage being caused by fires in Southern Israel has been significant. We will continue to monitor the situation and raise concerns as appropriate. The Government has recently announced a new £38 million programme to support economic development in Gaza and the West Bank. We will also be releasing £38.5 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency to help vulnerable Palestinian refugees, as well as £2 million to UNICEF, to help provide Gazans with access to clean water and sanitation.

Israel: Gaza

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the damage being done to crops in Gaza by herbicide sprays being used by Israel close to the border.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Whilst we have not raised this specific issue, officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly discuss the situation in Gaza with Israeli authorities and did so most recently on 18 July with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). The Government has recently announced a new £38 million programme to support economic development in Gaza and the West Bank. We will also be releasing £38.5 million for the UN Relief and Works Agency to help vulnerable Palestinian refugees, as well as £2 million to UNICEF, to help provide Gazans with access to clean water and sanitation.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Females

baroness hodgson of abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be a sustained focus on women and girls in developing countries in the forthcoming Department for International Development Spending Review.

lord bates: Gender equality is a top development priority and a top priority for the UK. Our manifesto and legislative commitments put girls and women at the heart of development and humanitarian spending. The process for agreeing Spending Review commitments will commence in the autumn, under a Treasury lead.

Ministry of Justice

Gambling: Crime

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of people with prison sentences in connection with gambling-related harm.

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thethe level of support and care available to problem gamblers in prisons.

lord keen of elie: Although associated with offending in some individuals, gambling is not a risk factor that has been frequently identified in the prison or probation population in England and Wales. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) does not hold official estimates of numbers of prisoners serving sentences in connection with gambling-related harm. HMPPS commissions providers to deliver a broad range of high quality, accredited, interventions to address the particular risks and needs of offenders. All prisoners irrespective of their sentence length are screened on entering prison for issues including debt and offered a package of support in prisons and on release to address their offending based on individual circumstances. Support available to problem gamblers includes debt advice but could also include referral to specialist organisations such as Gamblers Anonymous or Gamcare, as well as services provided through the chaplaincy and the Offender Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) such as money management courses. In addition, all prisoners are seen by healthcare services on reception and can be referred to mental health and addiction services to help address problem gambling.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Social Rented Housing

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the Green Paper on Social Housing announced on 19 September 2017.

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their Green Paper on social housing.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Providing high quality and well managed social housing is a top priority for this government. Shortly we will publish a Green Paper that sets out a new deal for social housing tenants.

Buildings: Carbon Emissions

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make it mandatory for new build residential, and commercial properties to be zero carbon;and if so, when.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Building Regulations already require very energy efficient new homes. The minimum energy performance standard for new homes has been increased by over 30 per cent since 2010.The next steps for reviewing these requirements are set out in the Government's Clean Growth Strategy, which sets out our intention to consult on strengthening energy requirements where cost effective, affordable, safe and practical to do so.The Prime Minister has set out the Government's ambition as part of a ‘Clean Growth Mission’ under the UK’s Industrial Strategy to halve the total use of energy in new homes compared to today’s standards for new build. This will consider what role energy performance requirements will have to support a wider approach alongside innovation including more efficient appliances, smart appliances, smart controls and modern methods of construction.

Coastal Areas: Regeneration

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the arts in revitalising seaside towns.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Promoting the arts is an important element in ensuring that our seaside towns continue to grow and prosper. We have helped establish 146 Coastal Community Teams around the English coastline, which have produced Economic Plans setting out both the short and longer term priorities to enable their area to promote jobs and economic growth. The arts will play a particular role in the tourism offer in many of the Economic Plans the Coastal Community Teams have developed. In addition, through the Coastal Communities Fund and the Coastal Revival Fund, we are supporting many regeneration and heritage projects involving the arts in coastal towns.

Planning: Nature Conservation

lord stunell: To ask Her Majesty's Government what account they plan to take of theCourt of Justice of the European Union's judgmenton 12 April(C-323/17) relating to the conservation of natural habitats in the drafting of the revised National Planning Policy Framework.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government is currently examining the implications of this judgment, which, amongst other things, concerns both the habitats regulations and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Ministry of Defence

Defence: Expenditure

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of GDP they spend on UK defence, excluding pension provisions.

earl howe: When the Ministry of Defence's pension expenditure, as reported in accordance with NATO's definitions of defence spending, is removed, the UK's remaining expenditure on defence spending in financial year 2017-18 equalled 1.97% of GDP using the Office for Budget Responsibility's GDP forecast.

Home Office

Immigrants: Detainees

baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by the Minister for Immigration on 16 July (HC Deb, col 11), whether all of the 44 children held in immigration detention, in the last period for which numbers are available, were held with their families immediately prior to return; whether all were held at Tinsley House; and whether any were detained for longer than 72 hours.

baroness williams of trafford: There were 44 children held in immigration detention between January and December 2017. 11 children were removed from the UK, with five being returned from Gatwick Pre-Departure Accommodation and six from the Family Unit within Tinsley House Immigration Removal Centre. All 11 children who were returned were held with their families prior to return for less than 72 hours.

Sayed Alwadaei

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to address the statelessness of Hajer Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the daughter of Bahraini human rights defender Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei; and whether the Home Office has processed Sayed Alwadaei’s application for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases. . Applications received by the Home Office are considered on their own merits in accordance with the Immigration Rules and Home Office policy.

Migrant Workers: Emergency Services

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to give asylum seekers working in emergency services whose leave to remain expires priority status to remain in the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: Asylum seekers are not allowed to work in the UK unless their claim has been outstanding for at least 12 months through no fault of their own. The policy is designed to protect the resident labour market so that access to employment is prioritised for British citizens and lawful residents, including those granted refugee status.Those who need protection are granted leave with full access to the labour market and mainstream benefits and can apply for settlement after five years. Refugees should apply for settlement before their five years’ leave expires – doing so will enable them to continue to work whilst their settlement application is decided. All settlement applications are considered on their individual merits.We have no plans to change this policy.

Asylum: Education

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that asylum seekers are able to finish the academic year in school once they have turned 18.

baroness williams of trafford: When asylum seekers reach the age of 18 years, they may continue to study pending a final decision on their application. If the application is refused, consideration will be given to the impact that removal action may have on the welfare and development of the child at their current stage of education, and this will be weighed against the possible effects of delaying removal.

Asylum: English Language

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide asylum seekers arriving in the UK with opportunities to learn English free of charge.

baroness williams of trafford: Not everyone who makes their own way to the UK to seek asylum will be found to be in need of protection and many will have travelled through other safe countries to get to the UK. The Government does not fund English classes for asylum seekers.Asylum seekers aged 19 or over become eligible for a 50% contribution to the costs of English language classes through the Adult Education Budget, when they have been legally in the UK for longer than six months and are awaiting a decision on their asylum claim, or have failed in their claim but have been granted support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Refugees: LGBT People

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they willlist from which countries they would grant LGBTQ+ applicants refugee status based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

baroness williams of trafford: We are unable to provide a list of countries from which applicants would be granted refugee status based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.This is because all claims for international protection are considered in accordance with our international obligations. Individual claims are considered against any relevant caselaw and the background of the latest available country information. This is based on a careful and objective assessment of the situation in a given country using evidence taken from a range of sources including media outlets; local, national and international organisations, including human rights organisations; and information from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.Our assessment of the situation for persons seeking asylum based on their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression is set out in the relevant country policy and information notes, which are available on the Gov.uk website. Caseworkers also have access to an on-demand request service, where they can ask for specific research on issues or countries not covered by a country policy and information note.However, the country information forms the objective background against which applications are decided. Crucially, decision makers must still consider the individual facts and merits of a particular case to determine whether or not that person qualifies for asylum. The Government takes its international responsibilities seriously and grants protection to those who qualify.

Immigration Controls

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to modify the rules that apply to potential non-EU immigrants to the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: We keep all the immigration routes under regular review.

Immigration: Windrush Generation

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards developing a compensation scheme for those affected by the Windrush scandal; and when any compensation is expected to be paid to those affected.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government has made it clear we intend to put in place a compensation scheme quickly and carefully to redress what has gone wrong.On 19 July, we launched the Windrush Compensation Consultation. The consultation period will run for 12 weeks ending on 11 October.I would encourage people to respond to the consultation, to help inform the design of the scheme.Following consultation, the scheme will open as soon as possible.

Cabinet Office

Public Sector: Billing

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the process by which commercial suppliers can claim statutory interest on overdue invoices owed by public authorities, as provided for by the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998; and what guidance is available to such suppliers regarding their right to claim interest on overdue invoices.

lord young of cookham: Regulation 113 of the Public Contract Regulations requires all contracting authorities to pay undisputed invoices within 30 days and ensure this payment term is passed down the supply chain. Where undisputed invoices are not paid within 30 days, interest becomes payable as set out in the late payment legislation. Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, suppliers can claim statutory interest, and debt recovery costs, on invoices not paid within the agreed period. The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy have published a user guide on the late payment directive and a copy is attached.   



Users guide to the recast late payment directive
(PDF Document, 270 KB)

Public Sector: Billing

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much statutory interest was (1) liable to be paid and (2) paid, by public sector bodies to commercial suppliers as a result of invoices paid later than 30 days in each year since 2010.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many commercial suppliers (1) claimed, and (2) received, statutory interest from public sector bodies due to late payment of commercial debts in each year since 2010.

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public authorities have published their performance online in relation to their duty to pay invoices from suppliers within 30 days as required bysection 113(7) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102).

lord young of cookham: This information is not held centrally. Under the Public Contracts Regulations, it is the responsibility of public sector buyers to publish annually the amount of interest paid to suppliers due to late payment. Additionally, central government departments publish interest liable, under the late payment legislation, on a quarterly basis. From March 2017, it has been a requirement for public sector buyers to publish the total amount of interest that they were liable to pay. The Public Contracts Regulations require public bodies to publish on the internet each year statistics showing how they have complied with the obligation to pay undisputed invoices within 30 days to their first tier suppliers/prime contractors. We encourage businesses to report instances where this is not happening to the Mystery Shopper service. Mystery Shopper will then investigate.

Public Sector: Billing

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what sanctions are usedin the event of a public authority not complying with the obligation to publish information regarding their late payment performanceonline as set out in section 113(7) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/102).

lord young of cookham: Normal public law remedies are available for failure by a contracting authority to comply with the requirement to publish information showing how far it has complied with its obligations to make payment within 30 days under section 113(7) of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.The Mystery Shopper service assists in ensuring compliance with obligations under these Regulations, including the requirement to publish information under section 113(7). We encourage businesses to report any instances where this may not be happening to the Service who will then investigate. Contracting authorities must give assistance to any Mystery Shopper investigation and must provide documents or information for the purpose of any such investigation within a set timeframe of 30 days.

Government Departments: Telephone Services

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many departments provide 0845 numbers for use by the public; and what action, if any, they are they taking to provide cheaper alternatives.

lord young of cookham: This information is not held centrally. Departments are responsible for their number prefix choices. Third party telecommunications providers are an integral part of the Government supply chain to ensure that citizens can communicate with Government easily.The Government published guidance setting out clear principles for departments to use and a copy attached.



Customer phone lines draft guidance October 2015
(PDF Document, 90.37 KB)

Election Offences: Referendums

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the offences which may be committed in respect of the conduct of referendums; and what are the penalties that may be imposed by the courts on persons found guilty of each of those offences.

lord young of cookham: The Electoral Commission has a duty under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) to regulate political funding and spending at elections and referendums. The ‘Offences and proposed sanctions’ document on their website sets out the offences and contraventions in PPERA, including the offences and actions which can be taken in respect of the conduct of referendums. In addition, the Electoral Commission can refer serious offences to the prosecuting authorities The penalties that courts can impose are set in Schedule 20 of PPERA. If a person is found guilty, penalties may vary from an unlimited fine to a prison sentence of up to a year. The table of offences and sanctions is attached.   



Table of offences and sanctions for EP 
(PDF Document, 184 KB)

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of when the investigations and inquiries into various aspects of the 2016 referendum campaign are likely to conclude and what consideration they have given to updating the relevant legislation in the light of any of findings.

lord young of cookham: The timescales of ongoing investigations and inquiries, including their likely conclusions, is a matter for the independent organisations conducting them, rather than the Government.The Government will carefully consider the findings and recommendations that are made when they have concluded.

Business Interests

lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many former (1) ministers, and (2) civil servants have taken up business appointments without getting approval from the Prime Minister and Advisory Committee on Business Appointments since 2015.

lord young of cookham: The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments publish details of all advice given to former ministers and senior civil servants on their website, including where they are aware of a breach of the process. However the specific information requested is not recorded centrally.

Business Interests

lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any,they have to strengthen the business appointment process for former ministers and civil servants.

lord young of cookham: The Government’s view remains that the current Business Appointment Rules system provides the right balance between preventing conflicts of interest, and ensuring the public sector can attract the skills and capability it needs, whilst also recognising the common law freedoms of individuals to earn a living without unreasonable hindrance. However, as set out in the Government response to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee’s most recent report on the subject, we have introduced a number of administrative changes to strengthen the process at a Departmental level, and ensure consistency in the way the Rules are applied. This includes issuing new guidance to Departments on administering the Rules, and requiring the Chairs of Departmental Audit and Risk Committees to take responsibility for monitoring compliance with the Rules as part of their existing governance processes. The full Government response is attached.   



Government Response to PACAC 
(PDF Document, 150.62 KB)

Ministers: Resignations

lord tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government which ministers have resigned their Government appointments since the Chequers Summit meeting on 7–8 July; and what Government positions each of those ministers held.

lord young of cookham: The following ministers have resigned from Government after the Chequers Summit: Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, former Secretary of State for Foreign AffairsRt Hon David Davis MP, former Secretary of State for Exiting the European UnionGuto Bebb MP, former Minister for Defence ProcurementSteve Baker MP, former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Exiting the European UnionAndrew Griffiths MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Immigration

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any change in immigration numbers from non-EU countries between the last two years for which figures are available.

lord empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many non-EU immigrants entered the UK in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin.

lord young of cookham: ​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to The Lord Empey, dated 24 July 2018. Dear Lord Empey, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made of any change in immigration numbers from non-EU countries between the last two years for which figures are available (HL9690); and how many non-EU immigrants entered the UK in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by country of origin (HL9692).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) released the latest estimates (for the year ending December 2017) of Long-Term International Migration (LTIM) on 16 July 2018[1]. Table 1 shows the immigration, emigration and net migration estimates for the UK of non-EU citizens for years ending December 2016 and December 2017 and the Confidence Intervals (CI) associated with these estimates.Non-EU immigration (311,000) is similar to the level seen in 2011. The latest increase (Table 1) follows a low level of non-EU study immigration in the year ending September 2016, which was not reflected in the most comparable visa and Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data. We therefore advise users to avoid comparing the latest year on year change for students and non-EU migration as a whole, but instead to look at the broader evidence and longer time series, allowing a better assessment of trends and showing that non-EU immigration has remained relatively stable over the past few years.Within the latest publication an illustrative revised trend was used to adjust for the unusual pattern in the non-EU student immigration in the year ending September 2016 and we concluded that net migration has been broadly stable over the last year.Estimates of LTIM to and from the UK are produced by ONS primarily based on data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS), with adjustments made for asylum seekers and people whose intentions change regarding their length of stay. Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) data on migration to and from Northern Ireland, based on GP registrations. LTIM estimates are based on the United Nations definition of a long-term international migrant, that is, someone who changes their country of usual residence for a period of one year or more. Further detail on the methodology related to international migration is available via the ONS website[2].The latest available estimates of long term international migration of non-EU immigrants entering the UK broken down by country of last residence (assumed to align to country of origin in your question) is for year ending December 2016 from the International Passenger Survey (IPS). A breakdown by country of last residence can be found in the table International Passenger Survey 3.01, Citizenship by Country of Last or Next Residence and is summarised in Table 2[3].  Table 1: UK Immigration, emigration and net migration of non-EU citizens  Year ending December: 2017Year ending December: 2016 Estimate[4]+/- CIEstimate+/- CI[5]Immigration311,00023,000265,00020,000Emigration84,00010,00090,00010,000Net Migration+227,00025,000+175,00023,000Source: Office for National Statistics, Home Office, Central Statistics Office Ireland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency   Table 2: UK Immigration and net migration of non-EU citizens by country of last residence  2016Country of last residence:Estimate+/- CI5European Union  Immigration10,0005,000Net Migration+6,0006,000Non-European Union  Immigration212,00020,000Net Migration+133,00022,000Source: Office for National Statistics   The data sources of Table 1 and Table 2 for year ending December 2016 differ because Table 2 is based solely on IPS estimates and Table 1 is based on the adjusted LTIM estimates, as described above.   Yours sincerelyJohn Pullinger   [1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/migrationstatisticsquarterlyreport/july2018revisedfrommaycoveringtheperiodtodecember2017[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/topicspecificmethodology[3]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/internationalpassengersurveycitizenshipbycountryoflastornextresidencetable301[4] Year includes provisional estimates for 2017[5] CI= Confidence Interval. These table use 95% confidence intervals (CI) to indicate the robustness of each estimate.

Ministers: Directors

lord rooker: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any ministers are acting as directors of companies; and if so, whether derogations from the Ministerial Code have been granted to such ministers.

lord young of cookham: The Ministerial Code states that Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their public duties and their private interests, financial or otherwise On appointment to office, Ministers provide their Permanent Secretary with a written list of all relevant interests known to them, which might be thought to give rise to a conflict. This is a requirement of the Ministerial Code. The personal information which Ministers disclose is treated in confidence, however, a list of those interests which are relevant to the Minister’s portfolio is published online. The list includes relevant interests which are additional to those already disclosed in the Parliamentary Registers. A statement covering relevant Ministers' interests is published twice yearly. The last list is attached and the next list will be published shortly



List of Ministers Interests December 2017
(PDF Document, 282.2 KB)

Treasury

Gambling

lord chadlington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings have taken place between HM Treasury and gambling companies, or their representatives, in the past year.

lord bates: Details of ministerial meetings with external bodies are published on the gov.uk website.Officials meet regularly with stakeholders from across the gambling sector to hear their views on the gambling market, and a range of economic and policy issues.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

lord grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether on the day on which the result of a hereditary peers by-election is due to be announced in the Chamber notice can be given on the House of Lords annunciator.

lord mcfall of alcluith: Notice will be given on the House of Lords annunciator on the day on which the result of a hereditary peers by-election is due to be announced in the Chamber, with effect from the next by-election.

Hereditary Peers: By-elections

lord grocott: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether notice can be given on the Order Paper of the announcement of any hereditary peers by-election.

lord mcfall of alcluith: An italic note will appear on the Order Paper on the day on which the result of a hereditary peers by-election is due to be announced in the Chamber, with effect from the next by-election.